Android is becoming a popular choice as an embedded operating system, largely because of its great UI and familiar programming interface. Support for Android is available from a wide range of chip, board and module vendors. This Embedded Android training course will show you the internal workings of Android, guide you through selecting suitable hardware platforms and teach you how to customize the platform for your own needs.

You will learn how to build Android from source and reflash the system images using fastboot. You will find out how to lock-down the UI to create a single-purpose “kiosk mode” application, and how to access external hardware from Android apps, using JNI. You will learn about the Android security framework and how to reduce the chances of the device becoming compromised. There are modules on how SurfaceFlinger renders graphics for various displays, and on the all-important topic of debugging and profiling the final system.

Roughly half of the course is taken by hands-on lab sessions during which you will apply the theory to create an embedded Android device, based on the popular and readily available BeagleBone Black.

Ways to Attend this Course

Android is becoming a popular choice as an embedded operating system, largely because of its great UI and familiar programming interface. Support for Android is available from a wide range of chip, board and module vendors. This Embedded Android training course will show you the internal workings of Android, guide you through selecting suitable hardware platforms and teach you how to customize the platform for your own needs.

You will learn how to build Android from source and reflash the system images using fastboot. You will find out how to lock-down the UI to create a single-purpose “kiosk mode” application, and how to access external hardware from Android apps, using JNI. You will learn about the Android security framework and how to reduce the chances of the device becoming compromised. There are modules on how SurfaceFlinger renders graphics for various displays, and on the all-important topic of debugging and profiling the final system.

Roughly half of the course is taken by hands-on lab sessions during which you will apply the theory to create an embedded Android device, based on the popular and readily available BeagleBone Black.

Course Outline

1. Introduction to Android

Android architecture: the big picture

Getting the source code: the Android Open Source Project (AOSP)

Building Android from source

Criteria for selecting hardware

2. The kernel

Linux kernel architecture

Android-specific changes to Linux

Building Linux from source

Understanding device trees

3. Booting Android

Learning how the bootloader starts Android

Flashing images using fastboot

Customizing init boot scripts

Controlling system behaviour using system properties

Reducing boot time

4. The Android framework

Understanding Android services

The role of binder and AIDL in defining interfaces to services

Defining your own service

Calling native code using JNI

The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)

5. Graphics

How SurfaceFinger orchestrates image rendering

Internal and external displays

Streaming multi-media

6. Applications

Application sandboxing

Dalvik and ART

How to write a single-use kiosk-mode application

7. Debugging and profiling

Debugging native code

Profiling CPU usage using perf

Profiling memory usage

Profiling power usage

8. Security

User and group IDs

Android permissions, and how to add your own

How SE Linux adds an extra layer of protection

Security threats and “rooting”

9. Interfacing with hardware

Some different approaches to reaching hardware from apps

USB host and accessories

Basic interfacing using GPIO

Learning Path

You are welcome to discuss which course is most suitable for you with a member of our team. Please contact us for suggestions.

We deliver this course either on or off-site in various regions around the world, and can customise your delivery to suit your exact business needs. Talk to us about how we can fine-tune a course to suit your team's current skillset and ultimate learning objectives.

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